Heartbreak
by Snarky Granger
Summary: Hermione hears devastating news after the DOM battle. How will she handle it and will she let her favorite professor help her? T for now.. Starts in the end of Book 5...
1. Chapter 1

**Heartbreak**

By**: marbleandtoast**

**AN: Yes, I know I should be writing a new chapter to "Kiss" but I was reading a different story and the one came to me and don't leave me alone. This one is going be a long one and a bit personal. Sigh. So bare with me Starting with T and may change to M. Thanks Bola for reading this over and for being there for me. You, too Aslin. Lol Now on to the story..**

**St. Mungo's**

Minerva is slowly walking down a hallway at St. Mungo's. She is trying to get a hang of walking with a walking stick. She refuses to use a cane. They refuse to let her leave until she learns how to regain her strength and mobility after her Stunner injury. She curses Umbridge under her breath for bringing those Aurors into the school grounds as she stumbles a little.

They have placed her in the private sector of St. Mungo's, which is set aside for Hogwarts students and faculty. The colors are light green or yellow with splashes of red and green accents throughout the room. The hallways are still the lime greenish coloring of St. Mungo's and still smell sterile like a hospital, though. The Founders of Hogwarts left funding aside for hospitals. They had foreseen that there would be a need for them.

As Minerva stabilizes herself with the walking stick, she notices that Madam Pomfrey is in the wing. She straightens her back up as much as it will allow her. She exclaims, "Poppy? What are you doing here? You usually don't check on me until later in the day."

Madam Pomfrey turns toward Minerva upon hearing her voice. "Oh, Minerva, I see that you are up and walking. You should try to get some rest." Madam Pomfrey tries to hurry her back up the hall.

"Poppy! What in blazes do you think you are doing?" screeches Minerva as she forces Poppy to stop pushing her, "Who is here that you don't want me to see?" Minerva McGonagall is truly too perceptible for her own good, Poppy considers.

Poppy sighs and says with a cringe, "Hermione Granger."

"WHAT? Let me see her. I demand you take me to her. She is one of my cubs," demands Minerva. Poppy looks at Minerva and sees the concern in her teal green eyes, so she unwillingly shows her where Hermione is staying in the wing. She somehow knows that her longtime friend won't back down until she does anyway. "Why is she here in the first place?"

"I don't have all the facts yet, but she was helping Harry Potter in the Department of Mysteries. She and four others went with him." She raises her hands before Minerva can interject. "I will tell you what I know, but I don't know why they went there either."

"Who else was there with them? I would imagine Ronald Weasley, correct?" asks Minerva.

"Yes, along with Neville Longbottom, Ginevra Weasley and Luna Lovegood," Poppy states. Minerva's right eyebrow disappears into her hairline. "Yes, you heard me right, and they did admirably against a dozen Death Eaters. They even helped capture a few of them."

"What?" sputters Minerva. "They went against Death Eaters?! I think you need to start from the beginning with what you know." Minerva turns towards the door that they are approaching, "No wait. Please tell me what is wrong with Miss Granger first," she says as she sees her through the window of the door.

"Hermione was hit by a curse from Dolohov or so Potter says. He said it was a purple flaming one, which was cast silently." She hears Minerva gasp at the description of the curse. "I had to bring her here because her injuries were the most critical of all of them. Mr. Potter said that she had silenced the Death Eater right before he cast it. It went diagonally across her front cavity, which created a mess on her internal organs. She also cracked some of her ribs from crashing into a bookcase just before the curse hit her. I was able to heal those right away to help her breathe better."

"Thank Merlin for your quick actions, Poppy. Who knows what would have happened to her if you weren't at the infirmary when they came in."

"She isn't out of the woods yet, Minerva," she says as she steps into Hermione's room, which has pale yellow walls with blue accents.

Minerva's breath hitches at the sight of Hermione laying there on the bed. Hermione's skin is pale white and bruises show on her face and arms from the battle. She is saddened to see the scarring on a lovely young lady, who shouldn't be worrying about fighting Death Eaters but about her grades, boys and a social life. Sigh. "She looks awfully pale, Poppy."

"The next few hours will be telling for her and her body's recovery." Minerva stumbles a little bit at those words. Poppy quickly grabs her elbow and guides her to a chair in the room. "Are you okay, Min? Do you need to go back to your room and lie down?"

"No, I am fine. Just a little shocked." As she says this, they hear a slight moan coming from the bed. "Miss Granger? Can you hear me? Please wake up, Miss Granger."

Madam Pomfrey whips out her wand to run quick diagnostic tests to check her lungs and internal organs like her liver and kidneys. Her brow furrows deeper than Minerva's seen in many years. "Hmm… will have to keep an eye on this," she mutters softly; then speaks at a normal tone, "Miss Granger? Please try to open your eyes for me."

Hermione Granger's eyes flutter open and quickly shut again due to the lighting of the room. She slowly turns her head towards the voices that she was hearing, even though she couldn't hear what or who they were talking about. She seemed to recognize the voices, though… "Where am I?" Hermione croaks out with her dry mouth. "Water, please."

Poppy moves over to the bedside table to get her some water and hands it to her. "Here, you go, my child. Sip it slowly, and to answer your question, you are at St. Mungo's Hogwarts' ward," the older witch firmly states. Hermione nods her head as she takes a sip.

_Did I just hear Professor McGonagall?_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: While writing this chapter, I realize that it is kind of long and detailed so my Beta, McGonagall's Bola, who I bow to, for keeping me straight with my verb tenses, helped me figure out where to split it. Lol Thank you, Bola! The second one will be very or a week later… for I am going on vacay and so is my beta. Have fun reading and please R and R bc it helps us writers know if we are on the right track. :D**

**Marble**

**Heartbreak**

**By: marbleandtoast**

**The Aftermath Part I **

_**Did I hear Professor McGonagall?**_

"**Now tell me, Miss Granger, how do you feel?" Madam Pomfrey asks as Hermione looks up.**

"**I hurt where the curse hit me. Please, Madam Pomfrey, could you give me something to relieve the pain a little bit?" Hermione answers with a pained moan. **

"**Of course you can, and I will give you a long-lasting pain relief, along with the medication that you need to heal your wounds," states Madam Pomfrey as she waves her wand over Hermione and whisks out of the door.**

**Hermione feels instant relief and sighs as the Healer walks out. She looks to see who else is in the room and realizes that Professor McGonagall is indeed there. She straightens up a little and starts shooting off questions, after all, she hasn't seen her in a quite a while as opposed to every day if she hadn't… "Professor! How are you doing? Are you still in pain? Why the walking stick with you?"**

"**Miss Granger! Please, calm down. You are rambling," Minerva says while touching Hermione's hand to get her to settle down. "I am fine." She sighs when she sees Hermione's glare. She knows from talking to her in the past that she insists on knowing the answers. "Fine. I am doing okay. The chest pain still lingers, and the Healers won't let me go until I learn how to walk with a walking stick, even though I don't want to use it." **

"**Oh… okay. I am glad that you are feeling better, because it was bloody scary to see," Hermione says with some tears in her mocha eyes at the memory of seeing her topple backwards under the four Stunners directed at her chest.**

"**What? You saw it? How?" sputters Professor McGonagall.**

"**We were up in the Astronomy Tower, taking our OWL exam and ended up seeing the whole thing," Hermione whispers softly, "We were all afraid for you when those four Stunners hit you." She starts to cry harder. **

**Professor McGonagall leans over to give comfort to her with a one-armed hug and says, "Now, now, Miss Granger. It is alright. You can see that I am fine. It will take more than a few Ministry idiots to get rid of me. Please don't cry. Now explain to me how you ended up at the Ministry of Magic of all places." As she pulls away, she tries not to cringe at the twinge that she feels in her chest, where the Stunners hit her.**

**Hermione's head snaps towards the professor. She just misses the look on her face. "What? How do you know?" She quells under the glare from the older witch. "Oh, right. Madam Pomfrey told you. What did she tell you, so I don't repeat myself?" enquires Hermione.**

**Professor McGonagall's glare softens a little when Hermione asks that question. She realizes that the young witch is willing to answer her questions, but she was right to ask what the professor knew. "Madam Pomfrey told me that you and four other students followed Harry to the Department of Mysteries and that you were injured by Dolohov. What were you all thinking, taking on a dozen Death Eaters?" Minerva asks with a little bit of heat in her voice.**

**Hermione takes a deep breath and proceeds with the story, "Well, during the History of Magic OWL, Harry had a dream that Sirius Black was captured by Voldemort and torturing him in the Department of Mysteries." **

"**What? You mean to tell me that Potter believed that dream? Wasn't he taking classes to block them?" growls the older witch.**

**Hermione cringes at the tone and replies, "Yes, he did, and we tried hard to find out whether or not he indeed was captured. I tried to tell him it was a trap, but you know how Harry gets when he has something stuck in his head. So we broke into Professor Umbridge's office. We were hoping to find out if Sirius was at the headquarters, but we got caught by her and her squad. She was going to use the truth serum on Harry, but Professor Snape didn't have any more." **

**The older witch interrupts her again, "What? She can't do that. It is illegal to use on children without parental consent and their parents' presence." **

"**But she did, Professor, and she was going to use the Cruciatus Curse. I was able to distract her from going through with it." **

**The older witch gasps at hearing the last bit from the young woman. "How you managed that, may I ask?" enquires Minerva with a shaky voice. **

**Hermione looks at the professor when she hears the shake in her voice. "Harry and I were able to lead her to 'Dumbledore's weapon'. She fell for it and didn't take any back-up even though neither of us had our wands either." She continues on when she sees the unasked questions in her eyes, "We led her to the Forbidden Forest and hoped that one of the creatures would help us. The centaurs did help us in a way, because she was moronic enough to insult them."**

"**Professor Umbridge was always a bit dimwitted when it came to talking to intelligent creatures," Professor McGonagall says while shaking her head. "How did the others get to you?"**

"**With Harry's training!" Hermione says with a smile. "You do know that he was secretly teaching us spells for Defense, right?" When she sees that the older witch nods, she continues, "They were able to overpower the Inquisitor Squad that was keeping an eye on them in her office. Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna came running after grabbing our wands." **

"**How did you get to the Ministry?" asks Minerva. "It is miles away, and you certainly couldn't have gone back to her office."**

**Hermione takes a slow, steadying breath and says, "Thestrals. We flew there. I never realized how good they are with directions. Luna had to help Ron, Ginny and myself to get on them because we couldn't see them. We went to the visitor's entrance that Mr. Weasley took with Harry for his hearing, and it was very quiet, and we didn't even see one guard as we walked by."**

"**Wait. You say that there was no guard?" asks the older witch, "Hmm… odd. There is usually one around the clock. Something must have happened to him. Please continue, Miss Granger."**

**Hermione nods at the professor's question and silently agrees with her assessment. "OK. We reached the area of the Department of Mysteries, and Harry tried to make us go back. We tried to make him understand that he didn't have to do it alone." Minerva nods her head in agreement with the young witch. "It took us a while to find the right room, and that turned out to be the Hall of Prophecies. Ron found a sphere that had Harry's and Voldemort's name on it, and Harry picked it up to look, and all Hell broke loose."**

"**Is that when the Death Eaters came into the picture?" enquires Professor McGonagall. Hermione nods her head. "Who was leading it?"**

"**Mister Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were leading the pack, although Mr. Malfoy had to restrain her from doing anything rash to us. They wanted the prophecy, which Harry knew nothing about. They thought it was hilarious to hear that little tidbit. I hope that he knows it now," says Hermione. "Oh my god, the others… I don't know what happened to them. What if one of them died and I don't know it or got badly injured?" Hermione bursts out in tears at that thought.**

"**Miss Granger! Please calm down. I am sure that they are fine. Madam Pomfrey would have said something if they weren't. She should be back any minute with your medication and give us answers to your questions," Minerva tries to comfort Hermione again with a pat on her hand.**

**Madam Pomfrey briskly walks into the room with a tray of Potions for Hermione right that moment. She pauses for a moment and sees that Hermione seems to be upset about something but keeps going towards the bed. "Here you go, Miss Granger," the older witch states as she places the tray on the table next to her. Hermione's eyes widen at the sight of all the Potions. "I will explain what each one is as you take them. Don't worry; they should be safe for you." She stares from Hermione to Minerva. "Is everything alright in here?" asks Madam Pomfrey, looking at the two ladies' worrying faces. "Is something bothering you, Miss Granger or Professor McGonagall?" **

**They both shake their heads no, but Minerva says, "Miss Granger is worried about her friends, since she doesn't know what happened to them. Could you kindly tell her the status on her friends?"**

"**Of course I can," says the Healer while she takes a seat on the edge of the bed, facing the young witch. **

"**Is there a reason why the Calming Draught is on the tray?" asks Hermione. **

"**I have it in case you have a problem with the Potions later. There hasn't been any case of that happening, but I don't like taking any chances. I'll keep it all short, because you need your rest, my dear," explains the Healer. Hermione nods at the explanation.**

"**Why don't we leave Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter last," the professor expresses her opinion. Hermione nods in agreement and then groans in pain, leaning away from the professor. "Miss Granger!"**

**Madam Pomfrey quickly waves her wand again. Hermione breathes a slight sigh of relief. "Here is the long-lasting pain relief Potion." She hands Hermione a chalky white potion, which Hermione takes and makes her pull a face at the taste. "Have some water. I know that it is bitter, and it will help wash it down," the Healer says and hands her a glass before continuing, "The next one that I am going to give you is the Blood-Replenishing one," she continues while uncorking it. **

"**Why that one, Madam Pomfrey?" asks Hermione before drinking the blood red potion.**

"**You seem to have lost quite a bit of blood due to the curse, and hitting the bookcase. How does your back feel?" enquires the older witch.**

"**It feels sore from me laying on it. I must have a big bruise or something," says Hermione while she tries to touch it.**

**Madam Pomfrey nods her heads and says, "Yes, you do. In fact, I have a bruise-healing paste for it. Would you like me to put some on your back?" she asks while showing her the yellow looking substance in small silver tin. She sees Hermione nod. "OK, now I am going to turn you towards Professor McGonagall so I can apply this. Then we can take a break from the medications to discuss your friends' injuries, alright?" **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Part II. :p Thanks, Bola, for looking this over for me. Oh, and I certainly don't own if I forgot to mention it. Please Read and Review. **

**Marble**

**Heartbreak**

**By: marbleandtoast**

**The Aftermath Part II**

**When she sees Hermione's nod, she slowly turns Hermione towards the elder witch. Professor McGonagall helps Poppy turn Hermione towards her and gasps at the sight of the bruise as Madam Pomfrey pushes aside the sheets and lifts the hospital gown. Hermione's whole back from the shoulder blades down to the small of her back is black and blue. It looks gruesome. That must have been one Hell of a smash against the bookcase. Hermione whimper a little, as Poppy carefully applies the bruise-healing paste to her back. She shivers a little from the cold, and breathes a sigh of relief as she feels the ache fade away for now. "We are going to have to reapply every few hours for two or three days until it disappears, Miss Granger," states Madam Pomfrey as she rolls her back onto her back then carefully sits her up so they can talk comfortably.**

"**Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," says Hermione. "Now can you please tell me what happened to my friends?" Hermione starts looking worrisome as she asks the older witch. **

"**Firstly, Mr. Longbottom suffered a broken nose and a slightly bruised face from the battle. He also suffers from some tremors, from when Bellatrix Lestrange used the Cruciatus on him during the battle." She hears gasps from her audience. "He will be fine in a couple of days once the tremors have subsided with the Potion that Professor Snape made, and the curse didn't last very long from what Mr. Potter told me," she calmly says and sees relief wash over their faces.**

"**Miss Lovegood was only injured from a Stunner, which sent her flying across the room, considering the proximity of the spell. She will be out of the hospital wing, with just a couple cuts and bruises, later this evening. She saved both Mr. and Miss Weasley at least once during the battle with her quick thinking, I have understood."**

**Hermione smiles at this news. She already got to learn more about the woman underneath the mask during the DA lessons and had been pleasantly surprised then. Professor McGonagall has a surprised look on her face and seems even more so at Hermione's reaction. She looks at Hermione and asks, "This news on Miss Lovegood doesn't strike you, does it?" Hermione shakes her head. "Why not?"**

"**I got to know her a little better during the secret training we did with Harry this year. She was quick on the uptake, plus she was kind of difficult to duel with because you never knew what she was going to do. She never did the same thing twice," Hermione answers. Minerva nods in understanding.**

"**Miss Weasley mostly only suffered a broken ankle, which I was able to fix in no time. She will be fine. She was also Stunned but not as forcefully as Miss Lovegood. Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, suffered from a couple of different ordeals." Poppy notices Hermione stiffening up a little, calmly pats her hand and says, "It is OK. He'll be fine once his Potion regiment is complete. First, he suffered a Confundus Charm, which led to his second ordeal. He almost got strangled." **

"**What!" both Minerva and Hermione sputter from the shocking news.**

"**Yes, you heard me right. Mr. Weasley apparently, in his confused state of mind, summoned tentacle brains to him. Mr. Potter was able to get them off, but it was a struggle, because they were wrapping themselves around him quickly. Like I said, he will be fine with copious applications of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction Potion. It will help him forget the thoughts and slowly, the welts on his body will fade to scars," Poppy explains the complications. Hermione lets out a sigh of relief when she hears that tidbit; so does Professor McGonagall. **

"**And finally, Mr. Potter," says Madame Pomfrey. Hermione and Minerva stiffen up again, because Poppy's tone isn't a happy one. "Mr. Potter didn't come straight to me with the others. He went to the Headmaster's office first. When he did come to me, he was full of mixed emotions, and I wasn't entirely sure what created it. When I was finally able to check him over, he checked out fine physically. I am worried about his psychological and emotional status, though. Professor Dumbledore did tell me that Lord Voldemort tried to possess him to get the professor to kill him." The women gasp at that particular news. "Mr. Potter was able to force him out with the painful loss of Sirius Black."**

**Hermione tries to move out of bed when she hears that Sirius is gone. "I got to go to Harry," she cries while moving. **

**Both of the older witches push and pull Hermione back onto the bed. "Miss Granger, stay put. I am sure that Mr. Potter would rather see you when you are better. Please don't move or Madam Pomfrey will have to put a Binding Spell on you to keep you there," Professor McGonagall sternly warns Hermione.**

**Hermione slumps back on the bed as tears roll down her face. "It isn't fair, Professor. He loved Sirius so much, almost like a father."**

"**I know, Miss Granger, but Madame Pomfrey… How did it happen? Do you know?" asks Minerva.**

"**Yes, I do. I overheard Mr. Longbottom telling the others; apparently he was the only one besides Mr. Potter to see it. Sirius Black was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange, and she hit him with a spell that sent him through the Death Veil." She hears the breaths hitch again at the news, and her next piece almost gives Hermione a panic attack. "That isn't all either. When Harry saw this, he almost followed Sirius right into it, but Remus Lupin was able to hold him back. Miss Granger? I promise you he is still here. Please take a deep breath. One last note, the Ministry finally learned the truth about Lord Voldemort," states Poppy.**

"**It's about time," growls out Hermione.**

"**Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall admonishes. "I know that this year has been tough for you three, but we must keep our heads."**

**Hermione hangs her head and says, "I am sorry, Professor. It was frustrating, especially with the Defense class being useless with that god awful professor. Oh, my God. Did someone get Professor Umbridge?" Hermione asks with her eyes wide open, looking at Madam Pomfrey. The older witch nods her head. **

**Professor McGonagall looks back and forth between the two witches, hoping that one of them would explain. Finally, she gets fed up from waiting and growls, "What happened to her? You didn't tell me the whole story with Professor Umbridge, Miss Granger." She gives Hermione her infamous glare. **

**Hermione quells under it and says, "Oh, sorry, Professor. I must have left that particular tidbit out." Minerva nods at her and softens her glare a little. "You remember that I told you that she insulted the centaurs and they got mad at her?" The professor nods. "Well, when that happened, the centaurs eventually took her deeper into the woods. So who was able to get her out of the Forest, Madam Pomfrey?"**

"**Headmaster Dumbledore did. How he did it is anyone's speculation," answers Poppy. "She is in shock at the moment, but she will be back to herself in due time."**

"**So Professor Dumbledore is back. Does that mean everything is back to normal at the castle?" asks Minerva, looking at Poppy.**

"**Yes, it does. Thank Merlin, and everything has settled down as well. Professor Flitwick got rid of most of the swamp that the Weasley twins left behind. He roped off a part of it, because it was ingenious magic on their part," Poppy answers. "I believe we have covered everything?" Poppy asks while looking at the other two ladies in the room. **

**Both ladies nod, and Hermione says, "Yes, except me. I realize it must be serious if I had to come to the Hogwarts branch of St. Mungo's. I have been kicking myself for not using the Stunner on Dolohov, and now he is going to come after me whenever he can." **

"**Miss Granger, don't be so hard on yourself. That was your first major battle with the Death Eaters. The best news of all is that every one of them was captured, except Bellatrix Lestrange," Poppy admonishes the young girl. Hermione looks at her in surprise. Poppy chuckles, "Yes, it is true. The Aurors were surprised to see them all rounded up. Malfoy, of course, escaped the net with his 'connections' soon after."**

**Hermione sighs and realizes that she is right. "I am sorry, Madam Pomfrey. It is hard to believe that I said the wrong incantation and nearly got myself killed because I froze. I will have to get better at it. Now can you please explain why there are still a lot of Potions left on the tray for me?" she asks while putting her head down.**

"**Madam Pomfrey, if I may, before you do," Minerva asks as she nods towards Hermione. The Healer nods her head. "Miss Granger, look at me," she says in a brisk tone, which gets Hermione's head to snap up with tears falling down her face, "Oh, Miss Granger, everything will be alright. You six did admirably well from the story that we just heard. Not many people can face a dozen Death Eaters and still live to tell the tale. Hm… that reminds me of your first year with the troll. You all seem to have an extraordinary amount of luck." Hermione cracks a slight smirk at that comment and starts to wipe her eyes off. "There you go, my dear. Feel better? Good," she says when she sees her nod. **

**The elder Healer pulls the tray closer to Hermione and nods to Minerva. "Some of these Potions you are only going to take once or twice, but the others are part of a regiment that comes from suffering a Death Eater's curse. Luckily enough for you, you did silence the man before he cast it, otherwise it would have killed you." Hermione gasps when she hears the news of her almost dying. "But the curse still did an incredible amount of damage. I have a burn-healing paste that will help fade the scar and soften the skin in the process," says Poppy while pointing to a grayish looking substance. **

**Hermione looks at the paste and asks, "How long will I have to apply it?"**

"**Hopefully just for a week, along with the others. You will have to stay here or at the infirmary at Hogwarts until I am satisfied with the results," answers Madam Pomfrey with a steel glare. **

"**Yes, Ma'am," says Hermione as she cringes under the look, "Can I finish the treatment at Hogwarts, please?" **

"**That is fine, but you are not moving until tomorrow, the latest. We want to make sure there isn't any complication with the Potions," Madam Pomfrey says and nods in agreement. **

"**There are ten altogether, but I am only going to tell you about the important ones, plus you are going to take the Dreamless Sleep in the end for a couple of days so that you can sleep well, which will help you heal," Madam Pomfrey kindly explains while showing Hermione the rest of the Potions on the tray. **

"**OK. The first major one is the Osseo Regenerator. It helps heal the cracks in your ribs and spinal cord and then rebuilds the bone matter to make it stronger," Poppy says as she gives her the smoky white Potion for her to drink, "it is similar to the Skele-Gro, but it is condensed to smaller amounts than the other one." **

**Hermione nods in understanding as she drinks with a slight cringe. She feels it working already. "Oh!" Hermione says softly.**

"**Working already?" asks Poppy with a surprised tone in her voice.**

"**Yes, it is, Madam Pomfrey," answers Hermione. "I must have been slightly more cracked than I thought." **

_**Hmm… that doesn't sound good. Must keep an eye on that. **_**Poppy muses while watching Hermione's reaction to the first Potion. "The second one is the Muscle Rejuvenator; it helps recover and rebuild the muscle mass inside the body, especially with the organs," Poppy explains while giving Hermione a slightly thick pinkish red Potion.**

**Hermione drinks it down. As she is drinking it, her body starts to convulse against it. Her throat starts to close up and restricts her breathing. Her body is acting like it is on fire. Hermione's face turns blue from the lack of oxygen. Madam Pomfrey whips out her wand to try to help her. The young witch collapses onto the professor when the lack of oxygen wins. Professor McGonagall exclaims in shock, "Oh my. Miss Granger!"**


End file.
